Case Number 03994

BEST OF THE MUPPET SHOW: VOLUME 5

The Charge

It's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights
It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.

Opening Statement

In 1976, the face of puppet-driven star-studded variety shows starring pigs
and frogs and rats was changed forever. It was at that golden age of television
when The Muppet Show stormed onto the scene, providing viewers with a
television experience unlike anything ever seen before. A family show in the
truest sense of the term, The Muppet Show offered the rugrats beaucoup
sensory overload -- I mean, talking animals and slapstick, what else could you
want -- and was witty enough to make adults not hate their lives for watching
such zaniness. The breeding ground for so much pop culture mainstays, the show
launched American icons such as Gonzo, Kermit, Miss Piggy, the Swedish Chef,
Animal, and my personal favorite Dr. Teeth (he's just so darn schmoooove...)
into the collective consciousness. Well, almost three decades later, the song
and dance numbers, the vicious assaults by a pig, the guest stars, the
wisecracks from the balcony seats, the whole enchilada returns in restored glory
to DVD, with The Best of the Muppet Show.

Facts of the Case

The Best of the Muppet Show: Volume 5 features, like the other
editions, three shows. Here, the guest stars are Steve Martin, Carol Burnett,
and Gilda Radner. Prior to each show, Brian Henson, Jim Henson's son and heir to
everything Muppet, offers an introduction, punctuated with an anecdote specific
to the show. These intros are nice, and really create the sense of nostalgia for
the series.

Following is a brief rundown of each individual show:

Guest Steve Martin Steve Martin, primed for his moment in the
guest start slot is victim to a miscommunication. Turns out, the night he was
supposed to be on is audition night, where Kermit and his cronies give their
attention to wannabe acts. These include some off-the-wall performers (e.g. a
band of singing food), including Mr. Steve Martin himself. This episode is
unorthodox in the fact that Martin does not participate in routines with the
Muppets, per se, as much as deliver his shtick to a small Muppet audience. This
one ends with a bang, however.

Guest Carol Burnett The legendary Carol Burnett gives it a shot
on the show, only to find out that the Great Gonzo has scheduled a dance
marathon on the same night. In this very Gonzo-centric episode (certainly not a
bad thing) Burnett must compete with spontaneous waltzing that spills over into
her acts.

Gilda Radner The most excellent Gilda Radner, and probably the
best female Saturday Night Live performer (in my opinion), finds herself smack
in the middle of some truly bizarre Muppet mayhem including a duet with a giant
carrot (?!!) and a run-in with a state-of-the-art Muppet-manufactured
adhesive.

The Evidence

Holy Moly, what an absolute shot of
"well-don't-that-just-take-you-back" this disc is. Everything from the
big opening with all the Muppets in their own little window, to Statler and
Waldorf's smart-ass remarks, to Gonzo's trademark flubbing of the final note,
transported me back to a simpler, funnier time that featured a maniacal,
incoherent drummer and barnyard animals flying through the air.

Ah, The Muppet Show, such a staple of many, many childhood memories.
Granted the full-length features it spawned were of a mixed bag (with The
Great Muppet Caper by far my favorite; that scene at the wrought-iron gate
where the Muppets are trying to break in...classic!) But, how could you not
watch and adore the antics of those crazy creatures with grown men's arms up
their rears cracking puns and delivering rousing show-tune spectacles?! Or maybe
I'm just overly sentimental...

Anyway, this volume sports some truly memorable moments. Between Carol
Burnett's throttling of a defenseless frog, to Gilda Radner's involuntary
attachment to Beaker, this disc is boasting some serious family-theme
artillery.

Ironically, the episode I was most looking forward to, actually ended up
being the weakest of the three: Steve Martin's. Love the guy, but sans the
Muppet-arranged sketches, where, honestly, much of the joy stems from seeing
these stars interact with a friggin' 6 foot tall blue eagle, the shows just kind
of fell flat...flat, at least, for an episode of the Muppet show.

The transfers are well done, but a major drawback is the lack of chapter
selection within the individual shows themselves. Instead, the skip button takes
you back to the menu.

These discs aren't exactly rife with features. It would have been great to
see some extensive behind-the-scenes footage or grab a commentary track. Instead
are small, humorous vignettes from the Muppets. They're cool and all, but I
would have liked to see how the magic happened.

Closing Statement

The most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational
This is what we call the Muppet Show! Sigh...those were the
days...

The Verdict

Go forth, all ye felt-filled creations, and spread joy to those too young to
know or too old to remember or too jaded to recall the joy of a freakish little
creature with a huge nose mentally abusing chickens! Court adjourned!